Process monitoring and control relates to the viewing and control of parameters of one or more processes, environments in which the processes are performed, and/or the operation of equipment executing the processes. In the manufacturing context, for example, process parameters can include duration, temperature, pressure, speed, quantity, and/or direction of motion of a particular piece of machinery. In other processes, such as in those performed in the course of using and maintaining information systems, management systems, and the like, the parameters can include to temperature of the operating environment, throughput (transactional and/or packet-based), downtime, usage, and similar quantities. Process control systems can be used to help manage production, monitor and maintain equipment, view performance and operational trends, and/or perform business functions such as remotely modifying operational parameters, visual inspections, and maintenance scheduling.
Recently, OPC Foundation, which oversees the development of the object-linking and embedding (OLE) for process control has adopted a Unified Architecture Specification that sets forth standard data formats and security and access protocols so that its members may build and implement systems that work together under a common framework. This standard goes only so far, however, in that it does not provide for easy to use and visually appealing representations of the data. Because complex processes and environments can be geographically dispersed across the globe and individual installations can have hundreds of individual processes and parameters that require monitoring, the raw data is only part of the solution.